The Hotel Lobby Is Dead, but the Lounge Is Lighting Up

CASE STUDY THE HOTEL LOBBY IS DEAD, BUT THE LOUNGE IS LIGHTING UP

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• The lobby transforms into a lounge to attract guests for cocktail hour and parties with a dance floor and private cabanas lining the room.

• Fixtures in the room include custom speakers, a New Year’s Eve “In a world where customer service has evaporated, Ball inspired DJ booth, and a wall- Mode:Green is still holding on to being proactive in maintaining high levels of customer service; they show up size digital countdown clock. when needed, and you’re confident that they’re going to stand • Custom music and lighting behind their installation.” control was designed by Mode:Green – Fergal Hayes, project director for Capital Expenditures for Starwood Hotels to emulate the Times Square vibe.

• Automation allows guests in cabanas to set their music for quiet conversation, or to join the dance In all markets, millennials are causing businesses to reinvent party in the lounge. themselves. In retail, brands are forced to improve their online shopping experience. Fashion is speeding up. Workplaces are becoming more social and tech savvy. Now, hotels, too, are meeting the high expectations of millennials by using technology to transform their lobbies and take guest experiences to the next level.

As younger generations frequent hostels, dorms, and coffee shops, hotels are trying to attract them by injecting life into their formerly stagnant common areas. For example, as the lobby transforms into a destination where guests and locals can interact, the bar has now become a part of the front desk. New York’s W Hotel created a space like this and styled it as a tribute to Times Square, offering a lively

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atmosphere that could shift from daytime to parties with a custom DJ booth and features of the legendary landmark.

PUTTING TIMES SQUARE INDOORS

The iconic sights and sounds of Times Square originate from the lights, graffiti, interactive displays, and energy from tourists, street performers, and busy New Yorkers.

“The design of the living room at the W Hotel was leveraged from a design narrative that drew inspiration “The design of the living room at the W Hotel from its Time Square location,” said Fergal Hayes, project was leveraged from a design narrative that drew director for Capital Expenditures with Starwood Hotels, inspiration from its Time Square location.” who contributed to overseeing the vision and completion – Fergal Hayes, project director for Capital Expenditures of the W Hotel’s new lobby space. With Times Square as for Starwood Hotels the motif for the W Hotel’s new lobby, a group of design teams working in cooperation with integration firm, Mode:Green, were tasked with capturing the New York dozens of different manufacturers and making them all landmark’s atmosphere and recreating it indoors. communicate with one another as a singular system.

Adding to the modern décor, neon lighting, vibrant signs, Mode:Green was the technology expert for the project, and graffiti were custom-designed for the space and collaborating with the design team to connect all of the were given digital life by Mode:Green: a digital countdown dozens of LED lights and custom speakers throughout the clock takes up a wall reaching about seven feet tall, lobby and inside the private booths with one another, as and the lobby-lounge teems with vibrant sound from 32 well as with the wall-sized countdown clock. independent zones and hidden, custom speakers. But it’s not just the bright lights that make the lounge so lively – Doing so involved careful planning. The wiring and the lounge has its own digital brain, capable of shifting its speakers are all hidden among the décor, where an atmosphere for different guests and events. invisible automation system makes everything simple to control. Using a touchscreen, the staff can activate REINVENTING AN ICONIC SCENE and adjust every light and speaker to create the right atmosphere from a selection of presets, including Happy All the Times Square advertisements, interactive billboards, Hour, Morning, and Fire Alarm, which shuts off the music and skyscrapers come from many different companies and brightens the lights for a safe exit. Guests in the and the individual pieces weren’t designed to work together private booths also have control over their own audio initially. In the same way, aesthetically, W Hotel’s team of zone, so they can pump the music from the custom New- designers were challenged to create a cohesive, yet diverse Year’s-Eve-Ball inspired DJ booth or turn it down for a quiet space as a tribute to the Big Apple’s famous landscape. conversation. For Mode:Green, this meant taking the technology from

| modegreen.com | (646) 668-4358 CASE STUDY: THE HOTEL LOBBY IS DEAD, BUT THE LOUNGE IS LIGHTING UP

Mode:Green specializes in this type of complex audio and Doing so involved careful planning. The wiring and lighting systems, geared towards a hotel environment that speakers are all hidden among the décor, where an accepts rotating guests. “To bring the highly customized invisible automation system makes everything simple Times Square-themed lighting into the hotel lobby and DJ to control. Using a touchscreen, the staff can activate area, Mode:Green was hands-on from the beginning with and adjust every light and speaker to create the right the design team,” said Hayes. “The W Hotel is a completely atmosphere from a selection of presets, including Happy custom space and Mode:Green was instrumental in Hour, Morning, and Fire Alarm, which shuts off the music helping to deliver the brand. and brightens the lights for a safe exit. Guests in the private booths also have control over their own audio zone, so they can pump the music from the custom New- Year’s-Eve-Ball inspired DJ booth or turn it down for a quiet conversation.

Mode:Green specializes in this type of complex audio and lighting systems, geared towards a hotel environment that accepts rotating guests. “To bring the highly customized Times Square-themed lighting into the hotel lobby and DJ area, Mode:Green was hands-on from the beginning with the design team,” said Hayes. “The W Hotel is a completely custom space and Mode:Green was instrumental in helping to deliver the brand.”

“The W Hotel is a completely custom space THE FINAL COUNTDOWN and Mode:Green was instrumental in helping to All the Times Square advertisements, interactive deliver the brand.” billboards, and skyscrapers come from many different – Fergal Hayes, project director for Capital Expenditures companies and the individual pieces weren’t designed to work together initially. In the same way, aesthetically, W Hotel’s team of designers were challenged to create a cohesive, yet diverse space as a tribute to the Big Apple’s famous landscape. For Mode:Green, this meant taking the technology from dozens of different manufacturers and making them all communicate with one another as a singular system.

Mode:Green was the technology expert for the project, collaborating with the design team to connect all of the dozens of LED lights and custom speakers throughout the lobby and inside the private booths with one another, as well as with the wall-sized countdown clock.

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